On my journey from Houston, TX to Nashville, TN, I had the opportunity to explore the campus of Jarvis Christian College. Jarvis, affiliated with the “Christian Church”, is a private, religiously affiliated college serving 900 students on an intimate 243 acre campus. Jarvis Christian College is not far from Dallas, and welcomes you onto the campus with a beautiful cascade.

As you drive onto the campus you see the victory bell in the school color: purple, and in close proximity, the school mascot eternally stands guard.

You can find out more about Jarvis on their website, www.jarvis.edu. In the meanwhile, join me on my trek of Jarvis through my photos and “imagine the possibilities.”

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Kentucky State University, one of the state’s two accredited HBCUs, has a long and storied history. The first permanent building on the campus, Jackson Hall, appears on the National Register. Directly in front of the Jackson Hall is a historic marker with an overview of the university’s founding: Kentucky State University chartered in 1886; opened in 1887 with three teachers and 55 students. The first state-supported institution of higher education for Africans, Kentucky State U. gained funds from legislature for building and teachers, and from Frankfort city council for site and clearing of grounds. Ky State earned four-year college status in 1931, and achieved university status in 1972.

As the public university in the state’s capital, Kentucky State University attracts a large number of government employees. Subsequently, the Ky State U educates a higher proportion of adult learners (students aged 25 and older) and European Americans than most HBCU. Walking on campus, however, KySU student life closely resembles the activities I have seen at other HBCU.

Located between the two largest cities in Kentucky, Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky State University attracts students from the state’s urban centers as well as the Bluegrass state’s “hills and hollows.” Students appear really involved and engaged around campus, during my visit I saw campaign signs for student government positions and student organizations hosting cookouts.

Lane College in the West Tennessee city of Jackson is a private Black college associated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal (formerly the Colored Methodist Episcopal) Church. In fact, Lane is the first college established by the CME church. The four remaining CME colleges include Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama (Metropolitan Birmingham), Texas College in Tyler, Texas, and the Phillips School of Theology housed in the Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Georgia. Mississippi Industrial College, was established by the CME church in Holly Springs, Mississippi, in 1905 and closed in the 1982. Lane is located between Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee’s two largest cities, so students are only a short trip away from an NBA Memphis Grizzlies game or Sunday night football with the NFL Tennessee Titans.

Upon arrival on campus, I noticed the potential of Lane College. The campus is not far from Tennessee’s main interstate, I-40, and Jackson is the largest city between the state’s two largest metropolitan areas. Not to be outdone by Memphis or Nashville, Jackson has a history and style all its own. The campus is full of historic markers commemorating Lane’s contributions to the city and the region.

Lane was founded in 1882, and because the administration chose to renovate and maintain rather than to demolish and rebuild, most of the campus is registered as a site of national historic significance with the State of Tennessee and the United States Department of the Interior. Along with renovated and restored historic buildings, Lane hosts modern academic and auxiliary buildings to facilitate the college’s growth in academic offerings and enrollment.

One building stood out among the rest to me on the Lane campus: the CMAC. Lane College’s Chambers-McClure Academic Center. CMAC houses the library, the main assembly room Graves Auditorium, and serves as the overall academic hub of campus. The CMAC’s bold architecture makes it stand out among the more historic structures on campus.

The most memorable part of campus was the Methodist art work commemorating the Tennessee Burned Churches in the ten years between 1988 and 1998. Painfully true, the words inscribed on the monument reads “Churches are still burning.” Topped by the National Coalition for Burned Churches logo, the monument lists the names, months, and years of all the churches burned in Tennessee from 1988 to 1998. To get through the pain, to overcome the pressure to fear and rage, I believe Lane presents another option, pressing toward the mark for the prize of high calling of GOD in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). The monument commemorates the burned churches, the campus itself represents that we as a people are still standing, and the cross atop the monument reminds us of the promise of better things to come. The monument to burned churches does more than remind me of how much racist hate us, it also allows for reflection on GOD’s grace and remembering His record of delivering people from seemingly insurmountable situations.

Lane College’s intimate 55-acre campus setting, 2 to 1 student to computer ratio, and average student enrollment of 1,500 provide an optimal set up for a liberal arts education. Lane offers bachelor’s degrees in 18 major fields. Additionally, through a collaboration with Tennessee State University, Nashville’s only public university, Lane provides its students with the chance to earn a degree in engineering. The dual degree program allows Lane students majoring in engineering to receive a Bachelor’s of Science degree in math from Lane and a bachelors’s of science in engineering from Tennessee State University.

From historic landmarks to modern facilities, Lane knows ThePower of Progress

The Edward Waters College campus is set in Florida’s largest city, the city with the largest land area in the contiguous United States, Jacksonville, FL. Privately operated, associated with African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and providing degrees in 8 academic programs, Edward Waters epitomizes the liberal arts college. Located in a residential neighborhood on both sides of a commercial street, Edward Waters College (EWC) distinguishes itself from its surroundings using both street signs and street art.

From the first few minutes on the campus it easy to tell that the people are warm and welcoming. Staff from the admissions house to academics, from the FAME (Focused Academic Motivating Excellence) Program to billing, from the residence halls to the print shop, everyone seems happy to be at Edward Waters. The tour guide was knowledgeable, personable, and took us around to every nook and cranny of the campus, including the spots where she used to hang out as an undergraduate; moreover, the guide introduced us to amazing administrators on the campus who were filled to the brim with HBCU love. The hospitality and intimacy the campus offers is second to none, even as a tour group my small crew of three ended were constantly waving, laughing, and hugging almost everyone we passed on the campus.

It seems that it would be difficult not to have a good time at EWC. The yard is full of student organizations’ plots and barbecue grills, the campus center has a sprawling first floor with an indoor workout facility and smoothie shop, and the residence halls look accommodating and comfortable.

A beautiful campus fountain sits between the Lee-Cousins Building housing the Office of the President and the Henry Y. Tookes Building, home of information technology.

In a seamless “Town and Gown” partnership between Edward Waters College and the city of Jacksonville, the EWC criminal justice department shares a building with a Sheriff’s Office substation. EWC has a long, positive history and relationship with law enforcement. The Edward Waters College President Nathan Glover was Jacksonville’s first Black sheriff. Leveraging President Glover’s expertise and connections, the school opened the joint Criminal Justice Center – Sheriff’s Office substation in 2013. Criminal justice and forensic science students at EWC now a site on-campus where they may shadow, intern, and be recruited to work full-time in positions aligned with their education and career goals.

Jacksonville is a large coastal city with plenty to do in town and great places to eat–I am partial to The Potter’s House Soul Food Bistro, shout out to our tour guide for the suggestion. The Edward Waters College campus feels full of student activities and organizations, feels altogether warm and inviting…and it’s Florida, so it stays warm. I like it. I love it. EWC.

Savannah State University is the oldest public college located in the oldest city in Georgia. Originally designated as Georgia’s Black land-grant college, the land-grant has since been transferred to Fort Valley State University, Savannah State University still conducts basic and applied research to improve the lives of Georgia’s underserved population.

Savannah State was established in 1890 with a handful of students. SSU now enrolls 4,800 students in 27 majors each year, housing many of the students on campus. Student organizations including the National Pan-Hellenic Council, music/band fraternities, and the student government association make life on campus active and unforgettable.

Student life is centered around the Yard. The SSU Yard, a circle-shaped courtyard lined by admissions, student union, administration, and academic buildings, hosts the student organization plots and a mobile stage for performances and showcases. A brightly decorated statue of a tiger, the SSU mascot, stands as the centerpiece of the Yard, a testament to the students’ school pride.

As the University by the sea, SSU specializes in oceanic and marine research. To highlight the school’s prowess in developing marine scientists, SSU provides a lists of its accomplishments on its website:

33% of Master’s degrees in marine/ocean sciences earned by African Americans in the U.S. from 2004-2007 were earned at SSU

10% of African American Master’s and Doctoral students in marine/ocean sciences in 2007 were either enrolled in the Master’s program at SSU or were former SSU students enrolled in Doctoral programs elsewhere

20% of masters graduates went on to Ph.D programs in past three years. (NSF/NIH survey spring 2011)

47% of masters graduates found jobs in research-oriented careers in past three years. (NSF/NIH survey spring 2011)

Directly behind the dining hall lies a marsh leading to the Atlantic Ocean.

With reputable academic programs, engaging campus life, and the excellent setting on the eastern coast of Georgia, it is easy to see how Savannah State University is Rising.

The following images present more of the memorable sites and scenes from my tour of the campus.

Wright Hall and the Savannah State University water tower

Gym equipment renovations taking place in the Savannah State University workout facility: the Body Shop.

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Voorhees College, founded in Denmark, South Carolina in 1897, is a private, career-oriented, liberal arts Historically Black College affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Originally modeled after Tuskegee Institute, Voorhees offers degrees in 12 disciplines to more 600 students living on and around the 300 acre, historic campus. The campus is split into two distinct sides: academic circle with classroom buildings, administration offices, and Greek organization plots, and another side centered on the yard with stage in the center and outlined with residence halls.

The campus has vibrant Greek plots adorning the academic side of the campus. Additionally, from the gym hosting the VC men’s and women’s NAIA division one basketball programs to the dozens of student organizations housed in the Wilkinson Building, students at Voorhees have multiple ways to enhance their development with co-curricular activities.

A legacy of Tuskegee, Voorhees College: One of South Carolina’s 8 HBCUs.

Denmark Technical College, boasting over 1,800 students as of Fall 2013, has an enrollment and employee population that would make up 2 out of every five citizens in the city of Denmark, South Carolina. Denmark Tech impressively utilizes 53 acres of land to accommodate its growing student body in 18 buildings including facilities for on-campus living, inter-collegiate athletics programs, technology centers, labs, shops, administration, and students services. Denmark Tech is a public, two-year comprehensive institution which, as the name suggests, specializes in preparing people for careers in technical fields. Half of Denmark Tech’s students are of the age of twenty-five and over, and 97 percent of the student body identifies as Black and/or African American. Located 50 miles from the state’s capital of Columbia, 50 miles from Augusta, Georgia, a few miles from fellow South Carolina HBCUs Claflin and South Carolina State, and literally across a fence from Historically Black Voorhees College, Denmark Technical College is well-located to host a growing student body and help interested students transfer to quality bachelor’s degree-granting institutions. As a result, Denmark Tech reported awarding 500 degrees and certificates in the 2012-2013 academic term. In short, Denmark Tech is a place “Where great things are happening.”

Standing on the highest of seven hills in Nashville, in the midst of the famed Jefferson Street, the bastion of Black culture, the stronghold of liberal arts, home of the Jubilee singers, alma mater of W.E.B. Du Bois, 40 acres of what puts the historically in HBCUs, the Fisk University has been “cultivating scholars and leaders one by one” since 1866. Fisk University was planned three months after the American Civil War ended, since then Fisk has been transforming the lives of their students and culture of middle Tennessee. The story of the Jubilee Singers, a group of Fisk students and faculty traveling around the United States and internationally singing to raise enough money to keep the institution open, inspires those interested in the performing arts to attend Fisk. The talent of the singers once caused the former queen of England to exclaim that they must be from some sort of “music city,” since then, Nashville has been proudly using the nickname Music City, USA. The dedication of the Jubilee singers to the institution and the significant role they played in saving the school from bankruptcy and closure has earned the Jubilee Singers the most honorable memorial of being immortalized as the name of the first permanent structure on the campus as well as the center of the Fisk University seal.

The architecture of the buildings on Fisk University’s campus is Gothic and enchanting. The students are warm, welcoming, and talented. Furthermore, it’s Fisk, the first institution for higher education in Nashville, neighbor of the largest producer of Black medical doctors Meharry Medical College, and down the street from the public Historically Black institution Tennessee State University. I could go on about Fisk, but it would only further expose my bias for the school as one of my all-time favorites. Enjoy the rest of the images of campus through my lens.

I heard the Alabama A&M chant throughout my childhood in Huntsville, Alabama. More than the chant, A&M line dances, marching band routines, and majorette eight counts were passed down to several of the high schools and multiple middle schools in north Alabama. At each football and basketball game, you could be sure to hear a high school band play song that closely resembled the pieces performed by the Alabama A&M Marching band.

More than music and athletics, the people of North Alabama were influenced by the scores of A&M teachers, teaching assistants, substitute teachers, camp counselors, and community center employees dotted throughout the region. A&M alumni teach classes, lead workshops, and serve in churches throughout the Alabama and their influence is widespread.

As a public land-grant institution, A&M has extension staff working all over the state of Alabama. In addition to their extension services, A&M’s agricultural work with forestry gives them access to over 2000 acres of land that spans three area codes from Huntsville to south Alabama past the cities of Auburn and Tuskegee.

Currently, Alabama A&M University serves over 5,300 students and boasts more than 40,000 alumni world-wide. From the original Hooper Councill Training school to the new expansions on campus resulting from Knight v Alabama desegregation case settlement money, Alabama A&M University is merging its historic past with its progressive future to provide opportunities for forgotten and underserved sons and daughters of North Alabama and the entire Tennessee Valley.

Alabama A&M University, though technically located in Normal, AL, is surrounded on every side by the city of Huntsville, the fourth largest city and second largest metropolitan service area in the state of Alabama. Originally located in downtown Hunstville, Alabama A&M was Huntsville’s only public 4-year higher education institution for 75 years until the establishment of University of Alabama-Huntsville (UAH) in 1950. Alabama A&M was nearly all Black, and UAH is branch of the same school that resisted the federal government’s demand to desegregate, thus creating a race-based dual-system of higher education in Hunstville. College desegregation lawsuits and federal policies have ruled in favor Alabama A&M, providing additional funds to the campus for capital improvements resulting in the a new athletic facility, residence center, and numerous academic buildings on the campus. “The Hill” is still recognizable to older alum, while providing new state of the art facilities for today’s tech savvy college students.

Boasting the city’s only college football team, Alabama A&M attracts a respectable crowd for Saturday night home football games and its marching band has total influence on North Alabama’s high school and middle school bands. The football stadium hosts a number of high school football games and the Agricultural Exhibition Center puts on events that draws various population groups to the campus. Alabama A&M has a strong and significant influence on the majority Black north Huntsville area, and the greater Tennessee Valley region. Alabama A&M has 140 years of making the world better for our people and I look forward to 140 more years of the Bulldog boogie.

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In May 2014, I visited the campus of Allen University in Columbia, SC. Allen University is an African Methodist Episcopal institution, it was planned by the AME church in 1870, created in 1871 as Payne Institute, relocated to Columbia, was chartered and had its name changed in 1880 making it the only college in America named for the founder of the AME Church, Richard Allen. The students of Allen may choose from 8 academic majors and 24 concentrations, multiple newly constructed living learning centers, and a campus mall for shopping and dining.

In addition to the social activities available in South Carolina’s capital city, Allen University is also directly across the street from Benedict College, the HBCU with the largest student body in the state.

Allen has a historic campus, a museum of a library, new residence centers, and an administration building with a beautiful edifice. Allen U.